Freelander 2 Gse 5dr 4x4

Many problems persistently ignored by manufacturer who kept fobbing me off till the warranty ran out!

I've been a really loyal and mostly happy (until more recently) customer for Land Rover. I've owned a Land Rover (various models) for a great number of years and my last two LR vehicles have both been Freelanders. My current model is a Freelander2, bought from new, and it's had problems since it's very early days. The fuel gauge problem being the first fault to appear. On starting the engine the gauge needle shoots to 'FULL' then over time drops to the correct reading. I reported this to the Land Rover dealer in the beginning when it first started to happen. Since then I've taken the vehicle in for fixing many times and they've never rectified the problem. So I complained to Land Rover themselves only to be told by them they'd never had such a problem before. This problem's now gone on for 4.5 years and whilst it was in warranty I complained about it many many times both to the dealer and Land Rover themselves. Every time I complained about it to Land Rover or took it into the garage, they fobbed me off by making excuses that they'd never had such problems before and their latest excuse they made for it was that it was my non Land Rover towbar that was the cause of it - in short, placing the blame elsewhere.
So the car's warranty ran out and the gauge wasn't fixed or honoured by Land Rover under warranty! Now I've just discovered that the fuel gauge problem appeared in a Land Rover Technical Service Bulletin as far back as 2010 (well within my warranty period) and the wording in the bulletin matches exactly with the gauge problem on my Freelander!!! That means Land Rover Customer Services and their dealers were actually LYING to me about it when they said they'd never heard of such a problem before! There were other problems at the same time but they're too numerous to mention.
As I write my latest problem is the rear differential which has started making a loud noise. This, I have just discovered, is yet another Land Rover fault! After my many years of experience of Land Rovers I know that my mileage is not the cause of the current problem and have found that this major fault has, in the past, happened to other Freelander2 vehicles with as little as 19,000 miles on the clock. My vehicle doesn't get any heavy off-road or heavy towing use either and it's never worked hard. The only time I use the towbar is when I occasionally make a trip with my little trailer to the waste disposal site to take in garden refuse for recycling.
So, in dismay, I've searched the net and found yet another Service Bulletin stating problems with Freelander rear differentials - confirming my current problem is a Land Rover manufacturing fault. However, this problem is going to be a very expensive cost to me and quite frankly, I can't afford it and I'm absolutely sick of footing the bill for Land Rovers inbuilt problems.
Don't get me wrong my Freelander is a very comfortable car, it handles well and gets nigh on 40mpg which is excellent for a 4WD - it's just the persistent faults (some of which are major) that let it down really badly and it shouldn't be happening because it absolutely ruins the experience of owning the vehicle! These aren't normal wear and tear faults but actual manufacturing faults!
Furthermore, the costs of repairs to these INBUILT Land Rover manufacturing problems shouldn't be coming out of my pocket they should be coming out of Land Rover's pockets. I'm telling you all this because if I don't highlight Land Rovers failings it's the private owners, you and I, that lose out EVERY time and that's not right under any circumstances!
Land Rover needs to face upto their responsibility that we have a RIGHT to a vehicle WITHOUT inbuilt faults when we pay over our hard earned cash to them! The next car I get won't be a Land Rover and that actually upsets me! Thanks for reading.

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